The present invention relates to toys in general, particularly computer controlled toys that provide messages to the user or toys used in conjunction with a computer system.
Printed television guides are known. A variety of advertising technologies are known.
Internet push technology is used to provide information, collated and collected from across the world wide web, to individual or corporate users who have requested such information. The types of information are selected by the user, however the particular informative items are not individually selected by the user. The informative items, which may include news, weather, sport, stock market updates etc. are sent directly over the Internet or an intranet to a user""s computer. This technology benefits a user by providing selected types of information to a user without the user having to spend the time surfing the web to retrieve the information directly.
Information providers that utilize Internet push technology are listed by Frank Vaughan, 1997, in xe2x80x9cSurfing the Internet: Push technology is one of the newest killer apps.xe2x80x9d, Computer Bits, Vol. 7, No. 10, and can be found at the following URL: http://iago.computerbits.com/archive/19971000/surf9710. htm.
Toys which are remotely controlled by wireless communication and which are not used in conjunction with a computer system are well known in the art. Typically, such toys include vehicles whose motion is controlled by a human user via a remote control device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,184 to Haugerud describes a computer controlled educational toy, the construction of which teaches the user computer terminology and programming and robotic technology. Haugerud describes computer control of a toy via a wired connection, wherein the user of the computer typically writes a simple program to control movement of a robot.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,602 to Rose describes a talking doll responsive to an external signal, in which the doll has a vocabulary stored in digital data in a memory which may be accessed to cause a speech synthesizer in the doll to simulate speech.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,878 to Lang describes an animated character system with real-time control.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,803 to Lang describes an animated character system with real-time control.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,615 to Aldava et al. describes an interrelational audio kinetic entertainment system in which movable and audible toys and other animated devices spaced apart from a television screen are provided with program synchronized audio and control data to interact with the program viewer in relationship to the television program.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,920 to Collier describes a radio controlled toy vehicle which generates realistic sound effects on board the vehicle. Communications with a remote computer allows an operator to modify and add new sound effects.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,270,480 to Hikawa describes a toy acting in response to a MIDI signal, wherein an instrument-playing toy performs simulated instrument playing movements.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,273 to Lang describes a system for remotely controlling an animated character. The system uses radio signals to transfer audio, video and other control signals to the animated character to provide speech, hearing vision and movement in real-time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,493 describes a system for a housing for a vertical dual keyboard MIDI wireless controller for accordionists. The system may be used with either a conventional MIDI cable connection or by a wireless MIDI transmission system.
German Patent DE 3009-040 to Neuhierl describes a device for adding the capability to transmit sound from a remote control to a controlled model vehicle. The sound is generated by means of a microphone or a tape recorder and transmitted to the controlled model vehicle by means of radio communications. The model vehicle is equipped with a speaker that emits the received sounds.
The disclosures of all publications mentioned in the specification and of the publications cited therein are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention seeks to provide methods and apparatus for toys, particularly computer controlled toys that provide messages to the user and can be used in effecting sales over a public network.
There is thus provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention method for using a toy for effecting sales over a public network, the method comprising:
providing a toy having interactive speaking and listening functionality;
connecting the toy via a public network to at least one server having transactional functionality; and
effecting sales by employing said transactional functionality via the interactive speaking and listening functionality of the toy.
It will be appreciated that the toy may effect sales in the course of on-line operation with respect to the transactional functionality of the server or alternatively in the course of off-line operation.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the step of effecting sales comprises employing said interactive speaking and listening functionality of said toy as an interface between a customer and the transactional functionality.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, the step of effecting resulting sales comprises using the speaking and listening functionality to obtain payment authorization from the user.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method also comprises recording sales effected through the toy and crediting a commercial entity associated with the toy.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, the step of providing comprises providing a toy having a persona and wherein the step of effecting sales comprises providing a script according to which the interactive speaking and listening functionality operates.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the script matches the persona of the toy.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, the step of effecting sales comprises actuating the toy to execute a reinforcing response if a sale is effected and to execute a negative response if a sale is not effected.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method also comprises obtaining information regarding at least one users interacting with the toy and wherein the step of effecting sales is effected by differential operation of the interactive speaking and listening functionality for different users, depending on the information regarding said different users.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, the method also comprises:
accepting a filtering request from a user; and
modifying the scope of the sales effecting step responsive to said filtering request.
There is also provided, in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, a method for using a toy for promoting sales over a public network, the method comprising:
providing a toy having interactive speaking and listening functionality;
connecting the toy via a public network to at least one server providing at least one sales promotion scripts;
actuating the interactive speaking and listening functionality of the toy, using at least one sales promotion scripts; and
recording at least one parameter characterizing a user""s response to the at least one sales promotion scripts.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method also comprises automatically billing at least one entities associated respectively with the at least one sales promotion scripts, depending on the user""s response to said at least one sales promotion scripts.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, the method also comprises:
accepting a filtering request from a user; and
modifying the scope of the actuating step responsive to said filtering request.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the step of actuating comprises providing a user with an entitlement to a discount, at a sales outlet.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, the step of entitlement providing comprises the step of printing out a coupon.
There is also provided, in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, a method for using a toy for enhancing television rating, the method comprising:
providing a toy having interactive speaking and listening functionality;
connecting the toy via a public network to at least one server providing at least one scripts promoting viewing of at least one program of an individual television channel; and
actuating the interactive speaking and listening functionality of the toy, using at least one viewing promoting scripts.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method also comprises recording at least one parameter characterizing a user""s response to the at least one sales promotion scripts.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, the step of recording comprises recognizing a broadcast of the program.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the step of recording comprises directly monitoring the user""s response.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, the method also comprises automatically billing at least one entities associated respectively with the at least one viewing promoting scripts, depending on the user""s response to said at least one viewing promoting scripts.